


Desperate Measures

by chairchair



Category: Homestuck
Genre: AU, Angst, Eridan is an asshole, F/M, Humanstuck, I refuse to rob Tavros of all his happiness if it kills me, M/M, Roommates, but not too much, tw: ridiculous starbucks concoctions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-28
Updated: 2014-09-08
Packaged: 2018-01-10 08:18:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1157288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chairchair/pseuds/chairchair
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Maybe I don't need, you to pick up any slack." The adversary to your wily ex has a voice you've never heard and a face you've never seen before. Both are determinedly hesitant, which is a combination you didn't even know was possible until now. You're surprised to find it singularly fascinating.</p><p>---</p><p>AKA the story in which two pathetic losers come together and somehow become less pathetic in the process.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. ==> Eridan: Assess situation

**Author's Note:**

> I had the insane idea to write an Eritav fic because they do not actually seem to exist as a pairing. Also because I really enjoy Tavros as a character and hey what better way to explore the nuances of Tavros than through his interactions with some fishy assface, right?
> 
> All the beta credit to my bff [bench](http://archiveofourown.org/users/bench).

"See, maaaaaaaaybe I would still want to be with you if you weren't such a whiny little pupae!" On a list of things for which you're willing to interrupt your fastidious morning coffee routine, a public breakup involving your ex-girlfriend wouldn't exactly make the top ten. Or fifty.  

"That's the thing, I really don't actually, want to be with you." But unfortunately, it's too interesting of a situation to pass up. You really have a weak spot for drama that doesn't involve you. It's just so rare nowadays, after all. 

"Of course you do! You just don't know what's best for you. That's why I'm here! But you can't expect me to pick up the slack _all_ the time, can you?"

"Maybe I don't need, you to pick up any slack." The adversary to your wily ex has a voice you've never heard and a face you've never seen before. Both are determinedly hesitant, which is a combination you didn't even know was possible until now. You're surprised to find it singularly fascinating. This is probably why you still can't bring yourself to look away. 

"Tavros." Vriska has her hands on her hips now, which you know to be a bad sign. "How many times to I have to tell you? You don't _know_ what you need. I do. I just can't coddle you along anymore! I've got my own agenda to take care of now."

Tavros, at this point, looks to have run out of words and is staring slack-jawed at the girl in front of him, the blue streaks in her hair glinting in the sunlight as she towers over him with unfailing conviction. You really shouldn't intervene, but...

"Vris, hey," you say cautiously, waving the hand that isn't holding a sixteen-ounce double caramel frappuccino with soy. "What's goin' on?"

"Oh, Eridan, it's you. Been a while," she says, turning away from the boy next to her and ignoring his confused glances between the two of you. "Sorry you had to see me in the middle of an argument with this _loser_." She rolls her eyes. 

"I take, offense at that," Tavros says, making a face and rubbing the side of his undercut. "It's not nice, to insult someone you're dating."

" _Were_ dating, Pupae. Past tense. Or did you already want take-backsies on our little discussion?" Tavros looks at her, then looks at you helplessly. He's mentally adorning you in white knight attire, you can feel it. You sigh in resignation to your role. You suppose it can't be helped.

"Vris, I don't really know what's goin' on here, but maybe you should leave the poor kid alone."

Her glare is now turned full-force onto you. "No, you _don't_ know what's going on! And I would appreciate it if you didn't take sides with the Pupae instead of, hello, your actual real life friend here? Who you haven't seen in like half a year, at least?" Well, it had been an honest effort at a defense anyway.

"Sorry, Vris. Been busy and all." You look between the two of them again, then check your watch, which is nautically themed and _very_ expensive. You make a point to check it as often as possible. "And actually, I should go now. I'm already runnin' late." If you get between this poor chump and Vriska any further, you're just going to get ensnared in her web as well, you can tell already. That's the problem with drama; even when it isn't yours, you're bound to get involved somehow. It's a curse you're doomed to suffer.

"Well fiiiiiiiine, be that way," she huffs. "I guess I should get going to work anyway." She turns to Tavros again, and he flinches ever so slightly, as if he knows what's coming. "Pupae, you had better have all your stuff out of my apartment by the time I'm back."

"But I won't, have anywhere to live," he says, eyes wide. 

"Well you should have thought of that before being such a weaky weak weakling!" She sighs exasperatedly. "I'm practically a saint for putting up with you for so long! You would get it if you knew the situation, Eridan," she says, with a cursory glance your way. 

You shrug, biting your lip. "I suppose." _Not getting involved anymore. Not getting involved anymore._ She snorts, as if she knows exactly what you're doing. 

"Well, boys, it's been a blast. See you suckers later!" 

When she strolls off, you let out a breath at the bullet you hope you just dodged and start to make a move to do the same, but when you hear sniffling behind you, you pause with gritted teeth. You really weren't lying about having to go, but you can't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for the kid. You've been in his place before – more than once, in fact – and being on the receiving end of screwed up Serket anti-logic would get anyone feeling down. Especially when it ends with being unexpectedly homeless, for cod's sake. You ponder this, along with the crushingly hopeful expression on his face, and your next sentence is out of your mouth before your brain can even process it. 

"Hey kid, er, Tavros, you need a place to stay for a little while?"

At the sound of his name, he perks up instantly, rubbing his watering eyes surreptitiously with the back of his hand. "A, um, place to stay? That's really nice of you, but I don't even know, who you are. A friend, of Vriska's?" His eyebrows knot together ever so slightly when he says her name, waver on the word "friend" as if he can't really believe that those exist. You know the feeling. Maybe you're so intrigued by this kid because he's one of the few people you've met whose actually more pathetic than you. 

"You could say that," you reply carefully. "Let's just say I'm sympathetic of your current position, and I just happen to have a spare bedroom open. I'm Eridan, by the way."

"Tavros," he says automatically, holding out his hand. You shake it. He says nothing about your watch, which is a strike for him but not an automatic failure. If he actually follows through with your disturbingly spur of the moment offer and has any bad words to say about your aquarium, now _that_ would be a major issue. You'll deal with it when the time comes. On that note, you really do need to get to work, or your boss will be insufferable. Shit. 

"Hey, I gotta run, but let me give you my number. If you do end up needing a room, just text me later and I can give you the address. It's not too far from here. Pretty sweet location, actually." You put down your slowly melting frappuccino and write your number on the back of your receipt with one of your omnipresent ballpoints.  You are nothing if not classy. "Here."

He stares at the paper disbelievingly for a moment before finally reaching out a hand to grab it. You are pretty sure you're soon going to run out of different ways to describe his actions as "uncertain." Probably before the conversation is over. 

"Thanks," he says, after a pause. "This is, really nice. Actually, really unexpectedly nice."

"It's no problem." Vriska called herself a saint, and you are going to show him what really being a saint is like whether it makes you an hour late to work or not. Look at you, being all selfless. When you tell Sollux, he's going to be so proud, you just know it.  


	2. ==> Sollux: Regard Eridan with disbelief

"You gave up your spare room to another ex of  _Vriska's_? Don't tell me today was the first time you met the guy."

"Well..." 

 "Are you  _insane_?" You rub your forehead disconsolately."  Actually, scratch that. I knew you were insane. I don't know why I'm dating you, it increases the frequency of my migraines by about two hundred percent."

"Hey," he says tersely. He's got his pouting face on, and is leaned back much too far in his high-end, adjustable swivel chair for appropriate office behavior. "I was all excited to tell you about my good deed. Stop ruining my moment."

"Maybe," you say, trying not to sound long-suffering, "I wouldn't have to ruin your moments if your moments didn't always involve completely irrational and compulsively self-destructive decisions."

"This was a great decision!" he says defensively. "You should have seen the kid, he would have frozen to death on the street without my help. And besides, you  _said_  I should get a roommate to help pay the bills." 

"I meant," you say slowly, "someone reputable, who I could actually do a background check on before you give him free reign of your apartment,  _not_  a reject of your crazy ex that you pulled off the street in the middle of sucking down one of your ridiculous frappuccinos." Eridan opens his mouth as if to protest this description, then makes a face and closes it again. "For that matter, did you even bother to bring up the subject of rent or lease terms at _all_?" 

The look on his face says it all and you feel a surge of irritation.  "Honestly," you begin, but are stopped short by someone's sudden ironclad grip on your shoulder. Whoops.

" _Do I need to separate the two of you,_ " a voice behind you says icily. You both swivel quickly around in your office chairs, Eridan's guilt written all over his face and yours hopefully less planinly readable.

"Sorry, Kar, I know I said I'd get right to work because I was late, but Sol and I were having an important discussion–"

"I'm sure I don't need to remind you," Karkat says loudly, his hand still firm on your shoulder, "that we have an important deadline looming, and we really can't afford any _domestic fucking squabbles_  during work hours."

Shit. You cover your face with one hand. "This was my bad, KK. I'm already done with the backend and I was going to help ED out with the page layout a little. I wasn't expecting him to start springing his idiotic life choices on me so early in the morning. We'll meet the deadline, I promise." 

Karkat pauses, and you can see him reverting back to business mode. "Thanks for getting that done," he says finally. "Did you want to get in on the meeting with the higher-ups? We're supposed to be going over some functionality for later pages that might be helpful to get a head start on."

"That would be great," you say with relief, hoping this means the Karkat storm has blown over quickly. But then of course, Eridan has to open his big mouth again and bring back the gales. 

"But Kar, I was doing–" He only has time to point aimlessly at his monitor before Karkat cuts him off again, bristling. 

"I know exactly what you were doing, and no, coming in an hour late, opening five files in photoshop, and staring at them does not count as getting work done," he says exhaustedly. "Eridan, I know you must know this, but you are only here on a temp basis because Sollux vouched hard for your design skills. We have plenty of other designers here that could be pulled from other teams to fill your position if you don't think this job is worth your time." Eridan blanches and finally says nothing in response. Maybe this means Karkat won't start lecturing you next. 

"And Sollux," he turns to you, all five feet five inches of project management authority radiating disappointment. Dammit. "I appreciate that you stay on top of your work despite it, but I need you to keep your personal life in check. Save the relationship discussions for lunch hour, at least during the deadline rush, would you? Both of you, obviously." He looks between the two of you for a long moment. "Now I have some phone calls to make so I can't stay to babysit, but I'm sure I can trust you two to build some content I can report positively about by the end of the week. Right?" You both nod blankly until Karkat heaves a sigh and dashes back to his office.  

"Goddamn," Eridan says, fixing a stray lock that had drifted free from his carefully jelled hair. You really don't know why you like the idiot so much, but you're sure it's mostly his ridiculously pretty face. "His quiet disappointment is  _so_  much scarier than his yelling. I always forget." 

"I keep telling you," you say, your tone torn between disapproval and camaraderie. "He's a force to be reckoned with."  

"Sol," Eridan says, after a silence. "I'm sorry about inviting a stranger to live with me, I wasn't thinking right..." 

You shrug, significantly less upset by the idea now that the initial shock has worn off and that it's been mitigated by Karkat-rage. "No point in talking about it now. Get his full name if he contacts you though, if you would? I'd at least like to do  _some_  research before he signs the lease. Which I will get for you, and you will explain to him." You look at him pointedly. He clears his throat.  

"Right. Got it."

"Now, let's look at the color scheme you've got so far and stop discussing your roommate situation before KK has both our heads." At this, you finally get a laugh out of him, which means he'll calm down and stop being so obstinate.  

"Thanks, Sol. For your help." He presses a kiss on your cheek, almost too quickly for you to process it, and is blushing bright red with his eyes fixed to the computer screen when you turn to look at him. What a dork. You ruffle his hair a little in response and sigh. These little moments are the only times when you can wholly disagree with your family, who told you that dating him was an all-encompassingly bad idea. 

"No problem, ED. That's what I'm here for."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My beta wonders why this isn't an Erisol fic. All in good time my friends


	3. ==> Tavros: Consider your options

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woooo finally a new chapter! Thanks to bench for the beta!

It’s 4:12PM, and you’re staring at yet another text from your girlfr – er, ex-girlfriend – about how you’re never going to survive on your own and how you’d “beeeeeeeetter not show up at my work when I get off!”   
  
You dated for long enough to recognize her mind games, and the worst part is you’re still somewhat tempted to show up at her work anyway. You notice the telltale signs of your head trying to make excuses for itself – _But I need my toothbrush, maybe I should just ask her for that_ and _maybe I need to tell her in person again that I’m over her_ and, worst of all, _maybe if I go back to her and apologize it will be better this time_.  
  
You hate it.   
  
You can hardly even believe that you worked up the courage to break up with her this morning, and looking back on it, it all seems so surreal. You can barely remember what you even said, though you’re fairly certain you sounded like a stuttering moron, and completely sure she twisted your words to make it seem like it was her idea. She always does.   
  
And then there was that guy. Eridan. If he hadn’t offered you a place to stay, you probably would have taken it all back. Groveled at her feet, begged to be let back into your shared apartment, just like every other time you’ve hinted that maybe you shouldn’t be together anymore.   
  
But should you really accept? You stare at the receipt where he scrawled his cell number in a fancy, over-the-top script. If you had any other place to stay, you wouldn’t even consider it. But at this point it's looking pretty prime compared to your other options of going back to Vriska or, you suppose, sleeping on the street.  
  
You sigh. You don’t particularly like getting help from strangers, or anyone. Vriska has really screwed you up on the idea, to be honest, having made it clear that you're weak and worthless for asking for even the tiniest favor. But you can’t go back to her. That would be even worse, and she'd pull her whole "I'm a saint for even considering your weakling needs, no one else would go that far" routine. You’ve promised yourself you'd leave a thousand times, and this time you’re going to keep it. Throwing away this chance you’ve been given to get away would just be idiotic.   
  
Of course, it's easier said than done. You stare at your phone, then at the number, then back. What do you say? _Hey, it’s Tavros, you had a bout of insanity or something this morning and for some reason offered me a place to stay_. No, better not remind him it’s a terrible idea, he might take it back. _Hi, I really, really need somewhere to sleep tonight, can I come ove–_ No, that sounds way too desperate, you’ve kind of been trying lately not to make that impression on every single new person you meet. Fuck it, this dumb message is going to take an hour to type if you overthink it. You always do this. You align shaking fingers to touch-screen letters and type as quickly as you can, though you still find yourself favoring the backspace key more than you probably should. And you use way too many commas, as always. You had points docked on every essay in school for it but you can’t seem to stop yourself. Commas are in your nature. You survey the message, hold your breath, and press send before you can make another change.   
  
Today 4:35 PM  
hey, it’s Tavros, we met this morning. do you still have, that spare room open? i’d like to stop by and check it out soon, if that's okay  
  
This is it. This is either the start of a new path, or just one more fuck-up on your mile-high stack of mistakes. And what’s one more, when you look at it that way, right?   
  
You jump slightly as your phone buzzes. That was fast.   
  
yeah ofc its ok. its the nice brick building on pike an summit, you cant miss it. text me when youre here an ill come down an let you in, then we can talk about the rental agreement an all.  
  
He sure typed a lot really quickly. And a rental agreement? That sounds…official. You guess that’s a good thing, shows he’s serious about offering you a spot. Okay. You can do this. The address is close and getting over there right away will calm your nerves. There’s another buzz on your phone, this time yet another text from Vriska. As an added bonus, the sooner you get over there, the sooner you can go on airplane mode. You wish you didn't need a phone since getting messages and taking calls stresses you out, but at least you can use it to look at calming pictures of cute animals.   
  
You spot the building immediately. It is pretty nice. And unarguably brick. It reminds you of your cousin Rufioh's co-op in New York, where you used to stay now and again back when your mom still cared enough about your relationship with your extended family to take you to visit them. Eridan is at the door almost as soon as you text him to tell him you're here, and you raise your eyebrows.  
  
"Hey! Er, I saw you comin' from the window," he adds, noting your surprise. "Come on up, an' hurry, Sollux can't stay long."   
  
You wonder absently who this Sollux person is–the landlord, maybe?–as you follow him up clanking side stairs, and when you walk into his apartment you can't help but gasp a little.   
  
It reminds you even stronger of Rufioh's on the inside, with its spiral staircase that meanders to a tiny loft above the kitchen and well worn wooden floors, scuffed by generations of scuffling feet. However, you can tell right away that Eridan is far better off than your cousin. Various oil paintings hanging from the bare brick walls, each frame painstakingly unique, a plush Persian carpet covers most of the floor and an enormous flat screen TV faces an expensive looking and rather garishly violet leather couch, where a scruffy-looking guy is perched. He pushes up his glasses, shuffles papers across the glass coffee table and clashes horribly with the rest of the decor.  
  
"Wow." It's all you can really say. You turn to the guy on the couch. "Are you, uh, Sollux then?" He looks up at this.  
  
"Sollux Captor, of unfortunate significant otherness to your potential future roommate." He gives a noncommittal wave at you and goes back to his shuffling. "Eridan, speed this process up, would you? I have about two hours of work left on my side project for Hachi and I'm already pushing the deadline."  
  
You take a second to process his self-introduction as Eridan slides over and grabs a few papers from the table, along with yet another fancy-looking pen, like the one he used to write down his number when you met. This one looks like it could probably write underwater and in space and in all sorts of places where you would never need to be writing anything. "Oh!" you say to Sollux suddenly, with a sense of great realization. "You're not, his landlord, you're his boyfriend!"   
  
Sollux lets out a snort of amusement from behind Eridan. "You really pick the winners, ED." Eridan just shrugs helplessly.   
  
"Yeah, he's my boyfriend, hope that's not a problem for you livin' here. If not, look over these papers for a minute. It's just general rental info an' stuff, you won't need to sign anythin' until you pass the background check."   
  
You shake your head too quickly, and hold the papers in front of your face to hide the blush on your cheeks. You grew up in a pretty small town and your only real experiences with actual out-of-the-closet gay people are with the ones who ceaselessly hit on you at bars in Capitol Hill. That is, until Vriska punches their lights out and informs them that you're her property, or that they don't want a worthless pupae like you and she's doing them a favor. It depends on her mood. Depended, that is. You need to stop doing that.  
  
You really hope Eridan doesn't hit on you, but if he has a boyfriend already you figure it will probably be okay. You decide to look over the rental agreement. Since you're holding it in front of your face anyway, you may as well.   
  
Unsurprisingly, it's mostly it's boring gibberish, but you pick out a few key phrases. Particularly, the monthly rent cost, the clause that disallows all pets (no exceptions!) and the complete lack of a security deposit. It kind of sounds too good to be true, to be honest.  
  
"This rent is, actually really reasonable, for this area," you say carefully. "And no, security deposit?"  
  
"Oh, no, who needs em right," says Eridan quickly. "And the rent is so low because, uh, it's not really a spare room. It's that loft space up there." He points. "The last tenant kept their kid there, little boy I think, but the ceilin' is too low for me to get around there easily. You're short though, so..." He trails off, shrugging and looking faintly embarrassed.   
  
"Oh!" you say, unable to hide your relief that it isn't cheap because someone died here or something. "That's, uh, that actually sounds great, wow." The loft! You'll have to email Rufioh and tell him.   
  
At this, Sollux stands up, stuffing a few of the papers into his bag. "Well, it looks like you've got it handled. Forward me the completed forms, if you would." He passes you a few more papers, hesitates, pecks Eridan on the cheek in a way that looks suspiciously reluctant, and dashes out the door, clicking it shut purposefully behind him.

In the ensuing silence, you are filled with your racing worries, hoping desperately that this all works out. There are just so many things that could go wrong. You don't even know this guy, though he does know Vriska, which almost makes it worse. Then Eridan huffs a sigh and asks if you want to get Thai food or something and you feel just a tiny bit better.


	4. ==> Eridan: Eat Thai food with Tavros

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again to bench for the beta!

"So," you say, in between bites of your seafood Pad Ki Mao, "How are you takin' the breakup with Vris?" You think it's very mature of you to bring it up first. The kid would probably skirt around it otherwise, and Sol is always telling you to put things on the table instead of making assumptions.

Tavros nearly chokes on his rice. "Um, sorry," he manages. You're not sure whether he didn't hear you or he's apologizing for choking. "I'm...fine, well, you know, as fine as you can be, I guess. Sorry." Maybe apologies are just a placeholder for him. You decide prodding just a little further can't hurt.

"I dated her too, you know," trying to conjure a sense of camaraderie. "Well," you amend, "I guess we were more - what do you call it - friends with benefits? Enemies with benefits would probably be a more appropriate term..." You trail off thoughtfully (and, you hope to the observer, mysteriously) at this revelation. You wait with eyebrows raised for a reaction from Tavros, who simply looks dumbstruck. Pity. Your subtleties of conversation may be wasted on him."Were you?" he says finally. "She never, mentioned any of her exes to me. She was always kind of focused, on putting me down."

You roll your eyes. "Yeah, sounds like Vris. Total bitch, right? Of course," you admit, "I was kinda a bitch too, back in the day, so I guess we were meant for each other."

When you look at him again to gauge his reaction, he's still and silent, his fork resting on the edge of his plate. "Not," you say hastily, "that we're still meant for each other, or anythin'! That ship has sailed, if you know what I mean, and I'm real happy with Sol, so-"

He shakes his head quickly, cutting you off. "Oh no, it's not, that. I just, got a little lost in thought, is all. So you...actually talked back to her?"

His eyes are wide and confused, and you're almost at a loss for words. "Well...yeah," you say. "I mean, I'm not gonna stand for that nonsense. We were constantly snapping at each other - but then there was the great make-up sex, so - shit, sorry, you probably don't want to hear about that." You wince, but it's like he didn't even hear you.

"I always thought," he says slowly, "that if we were dating, that I...that I deserved it. That's what, she always said. That it was just...a part of relationships. To make me better, you know?"

And now you're really at a loss for words. "Christ, Tav," you say finally. He starts a little at the nickname. "Do you really think that? That's kinda...fucked up, I gotta say." Hey, if he wants tact, he shouldn't be talking to you at all.

"Is it?" he says quietly, picking at his food again. "I kind of just figured, relationships weren't for me. That she was a bit harsher than most, maybe, but I just wasn't right for them, and if I left her, I would have to be happy alone."

"...Shit. That is like, the opposite of true. You really need to find yourself a nice new girlfriend or somethin' so you can understand what a relationship is supposed to be like."

"I guess, so," he says dubiously. "If you say so. I mean, you said you were, happy with your...boyfriend, right?"

You decide to ignore the pause after the word 'boyfriend.' "Yeah, a' course I am," you say, and nobody but you, and probably Sol himself, would notice you spoke a little too quickly. "I said that already, didn't I? Sure, we fight...a lot...but he cares about me, unlike Vris would, an'...I mean, I'm still kinda a jerk to him sometimes, but..." You realize you're digging yourself into a ditch here, and decide to shut up for once. Tavros sighs.

"See? Relationships can't, ever be perfect. I'll just stay single, forever. It's easier that way." When you open your mouth to object, he quickly amends his statement. "Okay, not forever! Just...for now."

***

Your apartment is cold when you get home. It's been unusually chilly for fall, and today is no exception. Tavros went to pick up his things from Vriska's (he assured you the only reason he was going was because he knew she wasn't home, and he wanted to get rid of his spare key for good) so you have the apartment to yourself for a while. As you're wondering whether you can bring yourself to clean with your free time, your phone buzzes in your pocket."Hey, Sol. Thank god, now I have an excuse not to tidy up."

"Is that what I am now?" he says dryly. "A reason to maintain a constant state of clutter?"

"You're no better," you pout. "Your apartment is more empty Monster cans than floor."

"Beside the point. Anyway, I was calling about that deadline we've got at the end of the week. Have you started any sketches?"

"Well, no," you say. "I just got back from dinner with Tavros. Roommate bonding and all. Besides, you only just left a couple hours ago, what do you expect me to do in that time?"

"Two hours is plenty of time to eat and work. ED, if you're not serious about this project..."

"I am! Christ! An' I happened to have a very productive conversation with Tavros. Did you know he thinks that his relationship with Vris was normal? That you're, like, just not cut out for relationships if you can't handle girls bein' huge bitches to you all the time, so messed up, right? I told him he should find a nice girl, like, someone who's the opposite of Vris-"

"ED, you can't fix this kid's relationship problems." Sollux's voice sounds flat. You hate it when he gets like this, when he puts on his 'you're derailing my important (boring) conversation voice,' and you know it's usually fruitless to keep going with your point in this sort of situation but you can't help but try anyway.

"I don't want to fix him, just nudge him on the right path a little, push him towards a good relationship, you know, like...ours..." Dammit. You're faltering again, and this time, of course, it's in front of the one person who would actually notice. What is even wrong with you lately? Your relationship with Sol is fine. Normal. You don't have anything big to complain about.

"Look...whatever, ED. Just have something by the end of the week."

"Fuck, sorry Sol, I will, I lo-" The phone clicks as he hangs up. Shit.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on tumblr at [inimitable-nectar](http://inimitable-nectar.tumblr.com).


End file.
